Various products are generally assembled at an assembly plant. Many components are coupled together to form, e.g., a vehicle, an aircraft, an appliance, etc., hereinafter a “product”. Various assembly procedures have been developed to assist with the assembly of products, in particular, the process of assembling hoses to components.
For example, a hose clamp surrounds a hose and a pop clamp is utilized to hold the hose clamp open. Once the hose is positioned on a component of the product, the pop clamp is removed by an operator or user which causes the hose clamp to clamp around the hose. The operator then places the pop clamp in a hopper. The hopper can count when the pop clamp is placed therein. However, the hopper cannot distinguish between different objects, so if an object other than the pop clamp is placed therein, the hopper will count it.
As another example, some hose clamps do not use the pop clamp discussed above. Instead, the hose clamp stays open by a tab integrated on the hose clamp. Once the hose is positioned on the component of the product, the user utilizes a tool that releases the tab which causes the hose clamp to clamp around the hose. The tool is removed from a sleeve when being utilized and is placed back in the sleeve once the task is complete at that particular assembly station. The sleeve can identify when the tool is removed and placed back in the sleeve. However, the tool cannot identify whether all of the hose clamps have been released at that station.
Another type of tool that can be utilized to release the tab of the hose clamps is an electric tool that can identify if the tool has been used to release the tab. However, this tool cannot identify if another part has been engaged instead of the tab.
As yet another example, a camera system has been developed that can visually identify the pop clamp. The camera system is set up after a particular assembly station, and as the product moves along the assembly line past the camera system, the camera system visually looks at the product. If the camera system can visually see the pop clamp, the camera system will indicate to the operator that the pop clamp needs to be removed and the operator will then remove that pop clamp. However, the camera system cannot visually see every location of the product.
Other hose clamps include a threaded screw and a band to clamp the hose clamp around the hose. An electric torque controlled tool threads the screw which tightens the band around the hose. These tools cannot identify whether all of the hose clamps have been tightened and are cumbersome to use.